Poisoned lottery winner's estate settled

A year after a man was poisoned to death after winning the lottery, a judge is splitting his estate between his wife and daughter.

A year after a man was poisoned to death after winning the lottery, a judge is splitting his estate between his wife and daughter.

Jason Meisner and Jeremy GornerTribune reporters

The estate of a North Side businessman who died of cyanide poisoning after winning a $1 million lottery jackpot was divided among his two surviving heirs Wednesday in a deal that bars both sides from pursuing a wrongful-death lawsuit unless a criminal probe of his death turns up new evidence.

The settlement, filed in Cook County probate court, awards about one-third of Urooj Khan's lottery winnings to Jasmeen, his 18-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, as well as five condominiums owned by Khan and valued at about a combined $250,000. Khan's widow, Shabana Ansari, will keep the dry cleaning businesses owned by the couple and valued at just over $1 million as well as the rest of the lottery money, according to the agreement.

The lottery payout totaled $425,000 after taxes and a lump sum was taken, records show.

A clause near the end of the nine-page settlement referred to the ongoing criminal investigation into Khan's death, which authorities initially determined to be due to natural causes but reclassified as a homicide after the cyanide was discovered. The widow and daughter agreed not to sue over Khan's death unless new evidence is discovered or an arrest is made, according to the agreement.

Wednesday's settlement marked a quiet end to a probate case that sparked a media frenzy when the Tribune revealed the details of Khan's death. After the brief hearing in Judge Susan Coleman's empty Daley Center courtroom, Ansari's attorney, Al-Haroon Husain, said the rift between the two sides of Khan's family was unlikely to heal anytime soon.

"They're always going to be at opposite ends on this," he said. "The most we can do right now is just make sure all the matters get settled in court and have both parties get on with their lives. ... This is not an ending anybody would hope for. But it is what it is."

Husain said his client could have gotten more money but wanted to tie up any "loose ends" that could have led to years of court fights.

"For the sake of herself, her business, her husband and perhaps even her stepdaughter, she just wanted to put this litigation behind her and move on," Husain said.

David Feinberg, who represents Khan's daughter, declined to comment.

Khan, 46, won the scratch-off lottery prize in May 2012 but died unexpectedly two months later before he collected the check. He left no will.

The Cook County medical examiner's office initially ruled that Khan died of hardening of the arteries after no signs of trauma were found on his body and a preliminary blood test did not raise questions. The investigation was reopened about a week later after a brother raised concerns about Khan's death with authorities.

Chicago police became involved in September 2012 after testing found cyanide in Khan's blood. Additional testing showed lethal levels of the toxic chemical, leading to the homicide ruling.

After the Tribune broke the story of the murder investigation in January, Khan's body was exhumed for further testing, but no new clues were uncovered.

Ansari's criminal defense attorney told the Tribune in January that police had searched the West Rogers Park home she shared with her husband and father, Fareedun Ansari. She voluntarily submitted to a four-hour interview with detectives, answering all their questions, her attorney said.

No one has been charged in the homicide, and the investigation remained open and active Wednesday, police spokesman Adam Collins said.